When Vice President Kamala Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate, it wasn’t at a news conference or a sit-down interview with a broadcast network. Instead, she just posted it on Instagram. This followed one of the most historic moments in political history, when President Biden chose to drop out of the race – by posting the news on X/Twitter.
It’s no coincidence that these monumental announcements were made first via social media. They were intentional choices that reflect the shifting demographic power in the media. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is a growing segment of the workforce that is not only shaping pop culture but is also accumulating buying power and political clout. As a result, they are also shaping the way the nation consumes news, which strongly impacts our work in PR.
Social media is a powerhouse in news media
Social media has become the powerhouse in the digital media space. We are entering an age in PR when broadcast, print and online news media are no longer the pillars of news consumption. In fact, 75% of the Gen Z, millennial and Gen X population use social media to find news, compared to only 44% of baby boomers, according to a recent Harris Poll study.
As more people consume news via social media and other digital platforms, we’re seeing changes in newsrooms. Thousands of reporters have been laid off in just the past six months and, in a move that raised eyebrows, The Washington Post announced it was restructuring its newsroom to include a third division focused solely on attracting new consumers using social media, video and artificial intelligence.
This is where the Gen Z audience “lives” and in order to actually reach them, we need to find ways to create content and messaging that will be effective through these platforms.
Tailored messaging will take your campaigns far
Gen Z spends a lot of time online – hoping to connect with likeminded individuals, looking for information and buying products. Ultimately, they are searching for something. Our clients have an opportunity to be the key source that can provide them with what they are seeking. But it’s not enough to increase awareness by simply regurgitating core messages in a tweet or splashy Instagram post. The key is knowing what they want and how they want to receive it, and then tailoring a client’s message based on that knowledge. You can do this by capitalizing on trending videos or stories, employing social listening tools, or using AI like Chat GPT’s What’s Trending plug-in to learn what people are searching online. What works on one platform may not work on another, so it’s vital to understand what works best on the various platforms that Gen Z uses. Then, tailoring messaging and tactics for those platforms will make a big difference in either breaking through or fading into the background.
Authenticity is key
Gen Z also places a heavy emphasis on authenticity. This is one of their core values that strongly influences their decision-making, partly because they are the first generation to grow up with the internet as a major part of their lives. With so much time spent online, this generation is constantly inundated with marketing pitches, influencers hawking new products, and a constant flood of misinformation. As a result, they gravitate towards messaging that feels honest, personal and transparent. This means that, above all, when positioning issues and brands, we must ensure that our clients infuse their messages with authenticity.
As Gen Z matures, it will become an even more powerful audience. More clients will be looking to reach this demographic, but the traditional earned media approach will not be enough.
